]]>https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/10/16/california-fun/feed/0biffysphotographyIt’s Music Festival Season!https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/its-music-festival-season/
https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/its-music-festival-season/#respondTue, 01 Aug 2017 01:22:33 +0000http://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/?p=3407]]>There are few things I love more than music festivals. Spending a weekend enjoying great artists, discovering new bands and capturing their performances with my camera brings all my passions together. This year I am looking forward to KAABOO in Del Mar, California, and MidPoint Music Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio. Here are some highlights from last summer’s Nelsonville Music Festival, including Charles Bradley, Steve Poltz and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats.
]]>https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/31/its-music-festival-season/feed/0biffysphotographyRaptorshttps://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/raptors/
https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/23/raptors/#commentsMon, 24 Jul 2017 00:21:15 +0000http://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/?p=3375]]>Yesterday, I photographed some beautiful birds with my camera club at a Cincinnati bird rescue, Raptor Inc. Their focus is the preservation of birds of prey through rehabilitation, education and conservation. It was fun to learn about the birds and be able to observe and photograph them up close. Processing the photos can be a be challenge as the tethers are sometimes visible.

Today, I planned to go to Otter Point for sunrise. I was there in plenty of time but realized that I didn’t have a good vantage point to see the sun come up over the horizon. I tried to hike up the coast a bit, but no good spot. I decided to stay put as the sky was starting to light up. It was one of the most breathtaking sunrises I have ever witnessed. As I was enjoying the beautiful scence in front of me, I turned around to notice that it was just as stunning behind me!

It was even more special as I was able to enjoy the with not another person in sight. The pink clouds and first light, bathed the rocks in a pink glow.

Afterward, since it was only 5:30 in the morning, I had plenty of time to explore. I hiked down to Hunter’s Beach and photographed some of the waves hitting the rocks.

As I continued on Park Loop Road, I stopped and explored Otter Cove.

The clouds were moving in quickly so I decided to head home. Of course, I was easily distracted by this beautiful scene. As it started to rain, I photographed the raindrops on the pond.

The rain was spotty so I decided to stop at one of the carriage road bridges.

On the was home was Sieur de Monts, a beautiful garden. The birch trees were beautiful in this area. It was time to head home and consider a nap!

]]>https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/15/maine-day-7/feed/0biffysphotographyuntitled shoot-1558-Pano-Edituntitled shoot-1592-Edituntitled shoot-1628-HDR-Edituntitled shoot-1883-Edituntitled shoot-1758-Panountitled shoot-1774-Edituntitled shoot-2000-Edit-Edituntitled shoot-2014untitled shoot-1957-HDR-Edituntitled shoot-1965-Edit-Edituntitled shoot-1999-Edituntitled shoot-2033-Edituntitled shoot-1992-Edituntitled shoot-1986-Edituntitled shoot-2097Maine – Day 6https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/13/maine-day-6/
https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/13/maine-day-6/#respondFri, 14 Jul 2017 00:37:13 +0000http://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/?p=3259]]>Today I was prepared for sunrise! I woke up on time and had scouted a spot from the day before. Boulder Beach was my destination. I reached the parking area and see two photographers crossing the street. As I climbed down the path, I noticed the photographers setting up. It was low tide and I headed toward the water to find my location to enjoy first light. The rocks on Boulder Beach were a variety of sizes and slippery from the tide. I proceeded to fall and realize that this is quite treacherous. No obvious broken bones but I know that I will have some bruises and a skinned knee. I wish I would have worn my stream trekkers! In addition, the mosquitoes were ravenous and thick. I was not to the location where I wanted to photograph, but feel paralyzed by the slippery conditions. I literally scooted on the rocks to find a place I want to shoot. It was so beautiful to watch the rocks light up as the sun peaks above the horizon. As I enjoyed the scene, I forgot about the pain in my knee and the mosquitoes having breakfast on my neck. It was fun to talk with the other photographers and hear about their journey.

After sunrise, I stopped by the tarn and some lupines for a few quick photos. Headed home to pick up my family and we were off a carriage ride.

Carriage roads were built by industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Rockefeller, who had an avid personal interest in carriage driving and landscape design, built the roads to indulge his favorite pastime, but made the system available to the public for their use and enjoyment. The carriage road system is significant as a reminder of the early twentieth century interest in carriage driving as a leisure activity, for its careful attention to landscape design, and for its engineering structures, notably eighteen large stone-faced bridges. The Rockefeller carriage roads are the best-preserved and probably the largest surviving intact system of developed horse roads in the United States.

It was wonderful to enjoy Acadia from a different perspective. We did a driving tour of the island and found a wonderful scene with lupines by the sea. The sunset was beautiful on a small pond near our rental. Wonderful day!

]]>https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/13/maine-day-6/feed/0biffysphotographyuntitled shoot-1316-EditMaine – Day 5https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/09/maine-day-5/
https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/09/maine-day-5/#respondSun, 09 Jul 2017 18:46:32 +0000http://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/?p=3227]]>Today is the first real opportunity I had to photograph the sunrise. Sunrise in Maine is early, like 4:50 am early. Our rental is about 20-25 min away from the cool sunrise spots in Acadia. I set my alarm for 3:50 am. When I woke up it took me longer than expected to get my gear together. I left the house about 4:05 am. As I was heading south, I realized I didn’t have enough time to get to where I wanted to shoot! The sky was lighting up with beautiful pink clouds. I decided to stop in Bar Harbor and walk out to Bar Island since the tide was low. It wasn’t optimal, but I was able to get some decent photos.

On the way home from sunrise I stopped by a place called “The Tarn”. Prior to our trip, I purchased two e-books about photographing Acadia. One was written by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry and the other Michael Hudson (I was able to meet Michael at an art show in Bar Harbor and share with him how much I enjoyed his book). Both were excellent and had great tips and location ideas. One was “The Tarn. It glowed with the reflection of the mountain next to the water.

After breakfast, we headed out to check out the overlooks and park sites. I wanted to do some scouting for sunrise the next day. We found some cool spots and I played around with my IR camera and photographed some waves hitting the rocks. We enjoyed some family time and a quick nap before sunset. I tried to shoot the sunset from our house but was disappointed in the clouds. When I looked at my photos, I noticed some fun, colorful abstracts.

]]>https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/09/maine-day-5/feed/0biffysphotographyuntitled shoot-0840-EditMaine – Day 4https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/08/maine-day-4/
https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/08/maine-day-4/#respondSat, 08 Jul 2017 13:22:23 +0000http://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/?p=3201]]>Today started off rainy and foggy. As much as I enjoyed photographing the fog, I was ready for some blue skies. As a set out in the morning, I watched the fog clear over Jordan Pond. Since it was low tide we decided to walk to Bar Island. Lots of other people had the same idea, but it was cool. The rental were we stayed was within walking distance at low tide of “The Ovens”. The Ovens is a strange geological formations caused by the ocean’s tide and waves. The tide has carved caves into the rock that resemble ovens. One oven resembles a cathedral, giving Cathedral Rock its name. During high tide the rock is mostly under water. I decided to pull out my IR camera to shoot The Ovens. We were excited to actually have potential for a nice sunset, so we headed up to Cadillac mountain. It was incredible windy but beautiful. Since it was actually a clear night, I tried to photograph the Milky Way. Great day!

]]>https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/08/maine-day-4/feed/0biffysphotographyuntitled shoot-0741-Edit-EditMaine – Day 3https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/maine-day-3/
https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/maine-day-3/#respondFri, 07 Jul 2017 02:12:45 +0000http://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/?p=3160]]>Another great foggy morning in Maine. I spent some time enjoying the lupines in the morning at the end of our street. Lupines really inspired us to travel this time of the year and we were ecstatic to see that the lupines were in full bloom and everywhere! We ventured out to the other side of the island to check out the Bass Harbor Lighthouse. It was quite treacherous to climb out on the rocks to photograph the lighthouse. Thanks to Dave for supporting me while on the rocks with all my gear. Asticou Azalea and Thuya Gardens were next on our agenda and they did not disappoint. We stopped at Echo Lake on the way home for a very quick stop as there were many school children swimming on the beach.
]]>https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/maine-day-3/feed/0biffysphotographyMaine – Day 2https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/maine-day-2/
https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/maine-day-2/#respondThu, 06 Jul 2017 00:31:20 +0000http://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/?p=3118]]>Slept in til 6 because no sun predicted this am. One of the guidebooks I purchased recommended the ship harbor trail as there are lupines by the sea. I found the lupines and enjoyed the foggy morning. On the way home I photographed a small pond with lily pads and then watched some loons and gulls outside our rental. On to enjoy the turbulent sea! Thunder Hole was full of tourists watching the waves as the tide rolled in. What photographers won’t do for the photograph!

]]>https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/maine-day-2/feed/0biffysphotographyuntitled shoot-9778-EditMaine Trip – Day 1https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/maine-trip-day-1/
https://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/maine-trip-day-1/#respondTue, 04 Jul 2017 22:06:44 +0000http://bethlarsenphotography.wordpress.com/?p=3082]]>Our first full day in Maine started in Bangor with our self-guided Stephen King tour. His home was very cool with numerous fans taking photos outside. We were hoping for a sighting of his Corgi, Molly, The Thing of Evil, but no luck. We stopped by the Paul Bunyan statue and Thomas Hill Standpipe from “It”. We ventured on to Mount Hope Cemetery where they filmed “Pet Semetary” and we stumbled upon an eagle and her young eaglet. We headed down to our rental near Acadia and were pleased with the location and proximity to the water and a beautiful bed of lupines. Of course, I couldn’t wait to get into Acadia. It was very foggy that night but I was able to take a few photos of the ocean and kayaks on Jordan Pond.